This volume is a collection of selected papers discussed in the seminar on Trusteeship organised by Institute of Gandhian Studies, Wardha in February 2015 as a part of the celebration of 125th Birth Anniversary of Jamnalal Bajaj. It carries a foreword written by Ramjee Singh, a noted Gandhian scholar and former Vice Chancellor of Jain Vishva Bharati Institute, Ladnun, Rajasthan. It contains fifteen articles on trusteeship and related areas combining both theoretical and practical aspects.

Wednesday, October 12, 2016

Gandhi Journal Article-III ( October 2016 )

Relevance of Mahatma Gandhi in Canada

By Dr. Neeta Khandpekar

Gandhi's legacy is significant for both of them owing to have faced problems of separatism and secession in specific areas. Canada's accord of 1992 (though failed) was an act of political courage, an experiment at once educative and conciliatory which is perhaps the only way of fusing a multicultural society into a nation. Even today we read news headlines like "IN THE FOOTSTEPS OF THE MAHATMA, GLOBAL MAHATMA". And in fact Martin Luther King Jr, Dalai Lama, Aung San Suu Kyi, Nelson Mandela, Adolfo Perez Esquivel were inspired by Gandhiji's philosophy and practice and have been awarded the Nobel Prize across the world. Gandhi is now a global icon and a mystical figure rolled into one. In the twentieth century Non-violence has achieved many successes. The American Civil Rights Movement of the 1960's led by Martin Luther King Jr. culminated in political rights for African-Americans. Communism collapsed in Eastern Europe when confronted with non-violent resistance, led by forces like Solidarity in Poland and Charter 77 in Czechoslovakia. In 1986, a massive show of people's power toppled Ferdinand Marcos's dictatorship in the Philippines. The armies refused to fire on the people after being convinced by them-Photographs of girls offering roses to men manning the tanks are still etched in memory - to support the pro-democracy movement. Nelson Mandela and Desmond Tutu played a major role in South Africa's relatively peaceful transition from apartheid to a democracy that granted blacks political rights. Esquivel an Argentinean was the founder of Peace and Justice, a pan-Latin American civil rights movement in the 1970s that adopted non-violence as its credo at a time when the continent was gripped by violent conflict. This paper will focus on twenty first century issues especially in Canada and its solutions in Gandhian thought.

Monday, October 10, 2016

Gandhi Journal Article-II ( October 2016 )

Skill Development in India - The Gandhian Perspective

By Dr. Y.P. Anand

One of the primary ‘missions’ for taking India forward being pursued at present on a national scale is ‘Skill India’ or making Indians, especially its upcoming youth, much more skilled in the various crafts, trades, industries and professions.It would act as an ideal inspiration for both the propagators and the students of ‘Skill India’ mission to know that Mahatma Gandhi, all through his long public life (1893 till 30 January, 1948) invariably insisted on use of better and higher skills for working in whichever task or field he happened to be concerned with at any time. He believed in a constant and continuous learning process including experimentation, keeping the ideal as the goal but also knowing that human beings must always keep improving and rising in their skills but can never attain absolute perfection. Hence, he also called himself a ‘practical idealist’, going from ‘truth to truth’. He himself practiced the pursuit of skill in whatever he did even more than he told others to do.In this paper an attempt has been made to give a summarized presentation of the multi-faceted Gandhian perspective on the critical role, application and development of varied skills in the numerous fields with which he was involved. Though his interest in the promotion of skills related to nearly any major activity he came across was sustained throughout, his longest and deepest engagement remained with the promotion of the skills required in the propagation of khadi (particularly that of hand-spinning) and other village industries. The promotion of khadi and other village industries was an essential part of his lifelong struggle for India’s freedom from foreign rule as well as for removal of poverty and economic morass into which India had sunk.

Saturday, October 8, 2016

Gandhi Journal Article-I ( October 2016 )

Fighting for Peace: The Gandhian Way

By Asha Gupta

Peace does not imply simply ‘absence of war’. Rather, it implies justice, equity and ‘freedom from fear’. Gandhi, one of the apostles of peace, not only propagated peace at the world level but also understood fully. Since all plans of wars begin in the human mind, it becomes absolutely necessary to make it the abode of peace. Without inner peace and growth of spirituality at the individual level, there can’t be any peace and tranquility at the global level. For this to happen, individuals and civil societies would have to play a proactive role.

Thursday, October 6, 2016

Indian Prime Minister, Narendra Modi presented with first copy of new book on Mahatma's life in 1,300 colour photos

"MAHATMA Gandhi's Life in Colour" - The definite photo biography of Mahatma Gandhi

Mahatma Gandhi's Life in Colour, the coffee table book by GandhiServe India is released by The Prime Minister of India, Narendra Modi on October 2 on the occasion of 147th Gandhi birth anniversary. The book contains four-colour pictures reflecting various phases of Gandhi's life. About the book he said: "Excellent collection - excellent publication"! He wrote in the first copy of the book: "By means of photographs you are bringing the life of Mahatma Gandhi to the masses for which you deserve congratulations!"

Sunday, October 2, 2016

2nd October 1947...The Last Birthday Of Mahatma Gandhi

On hearing of the possibility of India being made independent, Hindu-Muslim communal riots erupted around the country. Gandhi had never subscribed to the two nation theory nor did he agree to it. But the Congress leaders and the public, tired of the communal tensions in the country, considered partition to be the lesser of the two evils. Gandhi had to finally give in to popular sentiment.

The weapons of truth and non-violence used by the Congress, and by default by the people, to achieve independence, were no longer considered adequate either by the same leaders of the Congress (who were in the forefront of the non-violent movement) or even the public. The views and the role of the vocal society on issues of communal harmony, khadi, village industries, Urdu, devnagari script, use of Hindustani (as against pure Sanskritised Hindi) and revival of Indian languages were very different. They considered Gandhi as an obstruction to achieve their ends.

...The differences of opinion and the circumstances of the country at that time led to Gandhiji feeling alone and isolated. Gandhi’s dejection was palpable. He sounded distraught. Death was very much on his mind. He used to pray that either the almighty give him the strength to change all that was happening and if not, to give him death. In this kind of milieu, Gandhi’s 78th birthday was approaching on 2 Oct 1947. This would prove to be his last birthday to be celebrated. All those around him had come to offer their good wishes. One such visitor jokingly commented, “Bapuji, on our birthdays we touch the feet of others and on your birthday too we have to touch your feet, how fair is that?” Gandhiji grinned and said, “The ways of mahatmas are always different. That is not my fault. You people have wrongly declared me a mahatma, so now bear the consequences.”